Drop the Duty!

UK consumers currently pay nearly 80 per cent tax on an average bottle of spirits, and nearly 60 per cent on a bottle of wine. Since 2008, wine taxation has increased by 54 per cent, and the Chancellor’s take of spirits has gone up by 44 per cent.

Drop the Duty!

UK consumers currently pay nearly 80 per cent tax on an average bottle of spirits, and nearly 60 per cent on a bottle of wine. Since 2008, wine taxation has increased by 54 per cent, and the Chancellor’s take of spirits has gone up by 44 per cent.

But these punishingly high taxes don’t just hit consumers.

The wine and spirits industry is worth £22 billion annually to the British economy, and the UK ‘alcohol industry’ – from distilleries to pubs – supports around 2 million jobs in the direct and indirect supply chain.

Britain’s wine and spirits industry is flourishing. Scotch whiskies have never been more popular, gin is enjoying a resurgence, and perhaps most excitingly of all there are now 470 commercial vineyards in the UK. There were stories in the press this week that vineyards in Sussex, in a sign of the growing quality of wine in the UK, are petitioning the EU for “protected status” – putting it in the same class as Champagne and Bordeaux!

With one budget left before the election, the Chancellor should give Brits a much-needed break and allow us to enjoy a dram or a glass without crushingly high taxes, the highest in Europe. But he should also give one of our world-leading industries a chance to prosper.

Welcome to the TPA

Welcome to The TaxPayers' Alliance, Britain's grassroots campaigning group dedicated to reforming taxes, cutting spending and protecting taxpayers. If you like what we do, become a supporter now by signing up to our mailing list using the form below. John O'Connell, Chief Executive